Peat treating device



April 29, 1941. N. A. CONSTANTINE FEAT TREAT ING DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fill INVENTOR.

ATTbRNEY.

April 29, '1941. N. A. CONSTANTINE FEAT TREATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f J ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 29, 1941 :"V'JJQT'UNITEDISTATES PATENT (OFFICE 'PEAT TREATINGDEVICE Nicholas A. Constantine, Duluth, Minn. 1 "Application August '29, 1938, Serial N .'22 7,327'

1 Claims.

This inventionv relates to power transmission units and has special reference to such a unit particularly adapted for use in conjunction with the feeding mechanism for revolving screens employed in the treatment of peat.

The principal objects are that of simplicity, efficiency, and compactness, as the space available for. such a unit is usually quite limited.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

' Referring now to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

"Figure 1 is a central sectional view partly in elevation of the installation of one of the units intermediate of a revolving drum and bucket delivery mechanism.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2, Figure 1, omitting the screen.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the hopper feeding conduit.

I represents the upper or material receiving end of a revolving screen, which latter is common in the art of handling granular material and may be of any desired construction. However the one here illustrated is designed for the handling of peat in preparing it for subsequent use, either as fertilizer, chicken litter, mulch, or the like.

Just within the forward end of this screen I have illustrated as being installed therein a sheet metal bulkhead shown at 2, though supported independently in any desired manner of the moving parts of the mechanism. Extending forwardly of this bulkhead are suitable beams or bars such as indicated at 3, for assistance in the support of the feeding conduit having the receiving funnel-like mouth 4 and the similarly shaped discharge terminus 5 which latter is attached to the bulkhead 2 as by the angle iron 6, and which conduit may be further braced or supported by any desired fabrication of frame structure such as suggested at I; the same being immaterial as to the invention.

The feeding conduit, being of double funnel construction, is somewhat enlarged and cylindrical in form intermediate of the reduced portions of the funnels, as at 8, the lower outer side of said cylindrical portion being provided with a removable member 8', through which access to the hereinafter described comminuting element may be had. Within this cylindrical portion there is illustrated as being installed a pulverizer or comminuting element mounted upon the horizontally disposed shaft 9. This pulverizer or comrially without departing from the spirit of the invention. The shaft 9 is shown as being supported upon suitable bearings I I, one upon eitherv side of the conduit.

The shaft 9 is driven from any desired source of power as by a pulley l2 mounted upon one end thereof, and, upon the opposite end of the shaft and outwardly of one of the bearings II iskeyed thereto a spur gear I3 which-meshes with the larger spur gearl i mounted upon the countersha ft I5 installed aboveand slightly rearwardly of the shaft 9. On this countershaft I5 is also fixed a smaller spur gear I6 which meshes with the larger gear I! on the countershaft l8, similar to the shaft I5, this countershaft I8 carrying a smaller spur gear I9 keyed thereto as is the gear IT. The smaller gear I9 meshes directly with the larger gear 20 keyed to the shaft 2|, which transmits power as through the beveled pinion 22 meshing with the larger beveled gear 23 keyed to the shaft 24 of the screening drum I. Thus and through this train of gears the de sired speed of rotation in relation to that of the comminutor shaft 9 is accomplished.

For treating material other than peat it is apparent that variations in the size of the various gear members in the chain just described may be accomplished to changethe ratio of rotation of the drum to the comminutor, however the i1- lustration here presented has proven admirable in the handling of peat.

A further novel feature of the invention is the continuation of the transmission of power at proper speed from the shaft 2| to the bucket delivery of material to the upper end of the feeding conduit, and which bucket delivery in this instance is illustrated as an endless chain of buckets installed upon the inclined support 25, one of the buckets being illustrated at 26, and a shaft provided with suitable sprocket Wheels for carrying buckets is illustrated at 21, the same being driven directly from the shaft 2| through the sprocket 2B thereupon and chain 29.

Thus there is: provided a novel assembly of power unit, transmitting the desired motion and speed to the revolving screen, the comminutor within the feeding conduit, and the feed of material to the conduit.

As a further improvement and important feature of the instant invention, there is installed,

in conjunction with such a unit, a controlled chemical supply for the material being treated, and which embodies, in this instance, a support such as indicated at 30, extending upwardly from one wall of the receiving funnel 4 of the unit and supporting a hopper 3|, having a perforated bottom, into which the chemical, such as ammonium sulphate, or the like, in granular form, is placed. As means for feeding such granular material to the feeding conduit there is provided a transverse shaft 32 within the lower end of the hopper 3|, said shaft having depending therefrom a scraper arm or shoe 33 which may be oscillated back and forth as by the slotted crank arm connection 34 and operating pitman 35, the lower end of which pitman is pivotally attached as by the tap bolt 36 attached to the hub of the sprocket wheel 28 slightly to one side of the center thereof for the desired throw of the pitman. The extent of this throw may be changed by adjustment of the upper end of the pi-tman in the slot of the crank arm 34.

A further novel and more specific feature of the invention is the manner in which the hammers II] are assembled upon the shaft 9. shaft is square in cross section intermediate of its bearings, and a pair of trianguiarly shaped thin metal discs, indicated at 31, are provided for each hammer, and the hammers are each installed intermediate of the corners of same as by through pins indicated at 38. Externally of each disc 31 a simple cotter indicated at 39 is used to prevent dislodgment of the pin. This type of installation is employed particularly in view of the simplicity in manipulating same, in that through either of the funnel like termini of This the conduit any one of the hammers may be removed or installed without taking down any other portion of the installation. It will be noted that a washer indicated at 40 is employed between each pair of discs, forming an exceedingly simple and practical installation.

Furthermore at the opposite sides of the conduit are provided inverted U-shaped cut-out portions 4|, held in position as by opposed clips 42 and 43, fixed to the side of the conduit and the cut-out portion respecfullypand which may be bolted together as illustarted for convenience in removal when it is desired to take the shaft out for repairs, renewal or the like, without further taking down or disassembly of the unit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A mixing and feeding unit for revolving peat screens having a central drive shaft, consisting of a comminutor housing located at the feed end of said screen and discharging thereinto below the drive shaft, one end of said housing being above the axis of said drive shaft and being provided with means for receiving material to be treated, a comminutor disposed transversely and centrally of said housing and below said shaft axis, means disposed transversely of the bottom of said housing for convenient access to said comminutor and forming a portion of said housing, means supported upon said housing above said oomminutor for feeding foreign material into-said housing, and power means for simultaneously driving said comminutor, screen shaft, and foreign material feeding means.

NICHOLAS A. CON STAN TINE. 

